Between Breaths and Beats
by BLav527
Summary: It seems every word and every moment that has passed between them is stuck...stuck here between breaths and beats as they wait to find out what their future holds.


AN's: I can't stop with these two. This is a companion piece to _Baser Instincts_ and _Better Now_ , but can also stand on its own.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The call comes early in the morning a week after the incident. All personnel are due back on the island the next day.

InGen had gone in and contained the animals. It was time for damage control.

All the survivors who had been guests had left two days before. Claire and Owen had barely left each other's side, sharing a hotel room and taking comfort in each other in the face of uncertainty.

It had been hard for Claire to say goodbye to her family, but she did so with promises to visit them soon. It was a promise she intended to keep…once she knew where she stood in the aftermath. Owen had been with her through it all. Not having much family of his own, Isla Nublar had been his home and he was as unsure of his place as she was.

All they could do was wait and worry.

So when the call finally comes in they decide to stop worrying.

They take the car InGen had supplied them with and drive to the beach, spending a quiet morning in the surf. Owen had wanted to teach Claire how to fish, only to be surprised (and impressed) that she already knew how. They make a contest of it, seeing how many fish they can each catch before throwing them all back to the sea.

In the afternoon they build a sandcastle with turrets and seashell gargoyles and a moat. Claire snaps a photo with the disposable camera she had bought in the gift shop.

They swim. Sometimes racing back and forth from a buoy to the shore, sometimes circling each other as they splash and play and laugh. When they've had their fill of the ocean they stretch out on a blanket, letting the sun dry them as they nap.

They walk the length of the beach, talking until the sun begins to set over the horizon. They stop at a beach café and share crab legs and lobster and tropical drinks by the light of the moon and tiki torches. A band is playing and Claire smiles at the dancing couples.

She's unsure of the steps when Owen pulls her out on the floor, but so is he and they have both had enough to drink that neither of them care.

That's when the sky opens over them.

They drive back to the hotel, spinning into the room still tipsy and drenched and laughing, leaning on each other for support. Soon they're moving in slow circles in the middle of the room, Owen's arms around Claire's waist and her head on his shoulder. It's only when Claire shivers that she remembers their clothes are soaked through and she pulls away a bit, her hand coming up to rest on Owen's chest.

The way he looks at her, eyes intense and dark, makes her shiver again and she speaks without really thinking…something about getting out of their wet clothes.

Owen's lips quirk up at the corners but before he can tighten his grip on her Claire has danced away from him, mumbling something about towels as she heads into the bathroom.

She pauses to look in the mirror. Her hair is matted and her face is flushed. She doesn't know why she's suddenly nervous. It's not as if they haven't before…Claire knows the feeling of Owen inside of her…and she wants him. But something about this time is different and she's not sure why. She wills herself to relax and takes a deep breath.

Owen is looking out the window, watching the rain. He takes the towels from her hands and drops them on a chair unused. He moves, standing behind her with his fingers at the zipper on her dress. He waits.

Claire's heart is beating rapidly in her chest. She takes a breath, turning her head to him slightly with a nod. Owen guides the zipper down, his fingers leaving a trail down her spine the whole way. Then he's in front of her again, looking at her with those eyes…waiting. Claire reaches up to undo the first button of his shirt. When she feels his heart beat and the hitch in his breath under her fingertips, she shakes away all of her nerves and kisses each new patch of skin as its revealed, leaving her own trail down his chest.

Owen lets out a low moan from the back of his throat as his shirt and her dress fall to the floor. He gathers her in his arms, kissing her and lifting her into the air until they fall onto the bed. They move up towards the pillows, kissing and grasping and removing clothing until nothing is between them.

They move together slowly at first. Claire arches her back, reveling in the feeling of Owen's weight on her…but it's not enough. She pulls his head down, kissing him passionately even as she rolls them so that she's on top and riding him, faster…a little faster…as she throws her head back. Owen curses and moans her name in the same breath as he grips her hips. He sits up so that she's in his lap, their chests pressed together as Claire's thrusts become urgent...Owen's name a sigh on her lips.

Stars burst behind their eyes when release finally comes. They fall back into the pillows still holding each other; their skin hot and breathing heavy as they lay in silence.

Owen is staring at her and in his gaze Claire can see everything he is thinking. When he opens his mouth to speak, she presses a finger to his lips and the words hang in the air between them. Stuck.

It seems every word and every moment that has passed between them is stuck...stuck here between breaths and beats as they wait to find out what their future holds.

But looking into Owen's eyes and knowing what he is going to say…knowing that he means it…Claire suddenly realizes she doesn't have to wait anymore. The future is right in front of her…and life is too short for worrying.

She takes one more breath...her heart one more beat...and moves her finger.

"I love you," they both say at once and smile and laugh.


End file.
